Frakes, whose father was a college professor who taught English and literature, was born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, and raised in nearby Bethlehem. He began acting at a young age in junior high and high school plays.

Following high school, Frakes enrolled at Pennsylvania State University as a psychology major, and during his time at Penn State became involved with an off-campus professional theater group; this experience eventually led to Frakes changing his major to theater arts. Upon completion of his studies, a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Theater Arts, Frakes spent two summers studying drama at Harvard University, where he performed at the Loeb Drama Center.

Besides Star Trek: The Next Generation, he has appeared in numerous TV roles, including the prime-time soap opera Falcon Crest and the comedy series Dukes of Hazard. Frakes auditioned seven times over six weeks for the part of Riker. (TNG Season 1 DVD special feature "Selected Crew Analysis"-"Casting")

On 28 May 1988, he married the actress Genie Francis (Laura Spencer on General Hospital, on which a pre-SpockLeonard Nimoy starred in 1963 and on which Corbin Bernsen starred long after playing Q2) after working together in the television mini-series North and South. Francis is the daughter of the late character actor Ivor Francis, and the colony mentioned in Star Trek: First Contact, Ivor Prime, may have been named after Frakes's father-in-law. Frakes portrayed the younger brother of fellow Star Trek actors Kirstie Alley and James Read in North and South and North and South: Book II. The sequel also starred DS9 guest star Jim Metzler. Frakes previously met Francis filming the drama series Bare Essence in 1983.

His non-Star Trek feature-film directing credits include Clockstoppers, Thunderbirds and all three of The Librarian movies. He has also directed various television episodes, including shows such as Roswell, Dollhouse, Castle, The Good Guys, and NCIS: Los Angeles.

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